Platinum open access journal in urology

Abstract

Happy New Year! Investigative and Clinical Urology (ICUrology) is an international, peer-reviewed, platinum open access journal published bimonthly. ICUrology aims to publish outstanding scholarly articles, both basic and clinical, that will have an impact on our understanding of various urological diseases and improve health care worldwide. The journal is currently indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed, PubMed Central (PMC), Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI), Scopus, Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ), and more. Two years have passed since our journal changed its title to Investigative and Clinical Urology to open doors to more international authors and readers. Surprisingly, there has been a remarkable increase in submissions from 20 countries in 2015 to 32 countries in 2017. In 2017, ICUrology published 6 regular issues bimonthly. Many outstanding papers were published in both fields of investigative and clinical urology. The acceptance rate was 26.2%, and the mean time from submission to final decision was 35 days. ICUrology strives to rapidly review and publish high-quality articles. In addition, we published 2 supplementary issues. The first special issue focused on pediatric vesicoureteral reflux, which is a common urological anomaly. The guest editor of this issue was professor Sang Won Han from Yonsei University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea. Seven distinguished international scholars participated in the special issue, including professors Antoine E. Khoury, John M Park, Earl Y Cheng, and Israel Franco from the USA and professor Hideo Nakai from Japan. The second special issue focused on underactive bladder, which is a voiding dysfunction that has attracted much interest recently. Professor Kyu-Sung Lee from Sungkyunkwan University School of Medicine, Seoul, Korea, served as a guest editor. Six eminent international scholars participated in the special issue, including professor Marcus J. Drake from the UK, professor Yasuhiko Igawa from Japan, and professor Toby C. Chai from the USA. In 2018, we plan to publish innovative special articles in each issue instead of publishing supplementary special issues. In 2017, the editorial board of ICUrology held several editorial board meetings and 2 workshops. The international editorial board meeting was held in Boston, USA, on May 14th during the AUA meeting. The ICUrology workshops were held in Jeju on April 15th and in Seoul on September 28th during the Korean Urological Association meetings. During the editorial board meetings, we received updates on journal statistics and also reviewed ethical and regulatory issues related to the journal. Recently, the editorial board decided to update the “Information for Authors” to reinforce publication ethics and other topics. In 2018, ICUrology will upgrade the online system for international authors and readers. The home page will be updated for easy-to-access online video clips and an interactive website. The online submission system will be changed to an international online platform. These changes will provide more convenient access for authors and reviewers of our journal. ICUrology welcomes high-quality research and innovative studies in both investigative and clinical urology. Best wishes,